From the archive: 21 April 1964

From the archive: London power failure blacks out TV Centre

The start of the new BBC television channel was postponed last night after an extensive power failure. The breakdown came only 25 minutes before BBC-2 was due to go on the screen for the first time.

The point of no return for the 625-line service came at 9.45 p.m. Mr Michael Peacock, chief of programmes on BBC-2, said: "Obviously I am disappointed, but not to worry. We will have a jolly good night tomorrow if the power is restored."

The only doubt the new channel's planners had before the blackout was of rain, which could ruin the planned firework display at Southend. On Sunday night Mr Peacock said: "Constant rain could seep into the fireworks and affect the electric contacts which set them off." The article in the "Radio Times" was headed "Off with a bang."

The failure, thought to be due to a fault in a 60,000 volt feeder at Iver (Buckinghamshire), also blacked out many parts of London and disrupted road traffic, hospitals, entertainment, trains, and sport. Underground trains were halted for 10 minutes, several cinemas closed, and the American singer Lena Horne's Palladium appearance was by dim emergency lighting. Theatre performances cancelled included "No Strings," and "Boeing Boeing," and "The Formation Dancers".

Even the Windmill

Piccadilly Circus was in darkness, restaurants had to serve cold food, public-house customers drank by candlelight - and the audience at the Windmill Theatre ("We Never Closed") were sent home after an hour of seeing the revue by torch and bicycle lamp. The Prime Minister and other distinguished guests ate by candlelight at the Cafe Royal dinner and had to walk up six flights of steps because the lift was not working.

At the Television Centre the studio audience for the "This Is Your Life" programme were sent home and eventually, when the emergency lighting system began to run down, everyone in the building was advised to leave "while the going was still good".

Jammed with inquiries

The switchboard was jammed with inquiries about the failure - all viewers of BBC-2 saw were announcements explaining the delay and a "newsroom" programme, beamed from Alexandra Palace at 10 p.m. On the BBC's main television channel a film was shown followed by "Panorama," from Liverpool.

The power situation was worsened when one of London's biggest power stations at Battersea was put out of action when fire in a cable-room damaged a 66,000-volt cable.

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